10 Mesmerizing CGI Artworks You Have to Check Out!

Pavle Ivanovic hides behind the pen name of Bob Lansroth as he tries to explore the boundless diversity of artists and the various ways in which they strive to escape the quotidian life. It is through the creative force within us that we must attempt to connect with one another and share our ideas with the world.

CGI has become an integral part of many modern artistic forms. Today, the computer generated imagery is used in art, printed media, films, video games, TV programs, videos, commercials and various other forms which are taken on another level through the use of this application. Most commonly referred to as 3D computer graphics, CGI offers almost endless possibilities at the clickof a button. With the exponential growth of computer processing power, the artists keep evolving their skills as well, discovering new and better ways to express themselves through the use of machinery and digital aid. CGI art has really developed from scratches to a multi-billion-dollar industry, and sometimes it becomes really difficult to discern whether it is a photograph or a real-life image we’re looking at, or in fact, a computer-generated image. These ten creators really push the boundaries of what is possible through the use of CGI, making art that visually stuns the viewer and makes us wonder in the awe-inspiring feeling of reality. Some of the finest artists in CGI of today have done miraculous work which questions the limits of our perception. Have a look at some of the best examples of CGI which comes as close as possible to the life-like reality which surrounds us.

DAN ROARTY – THE BLUE PROJECT

3D character artist named Dan Roarty really takes his line of work to a whole another level. The epic rendition of a 3D portrait entitled The Blue Project has set really high bars for all other artists dealing with CGI. The image was created with a goal to appear as similar as possible to a realistic photo of his beautiful wife, Nicole. The artist used some latest pieces of software, so as he stated, it was a huge learning curve as well. We can all safely presume that he mastered the software quite quickly and with flying colors, for the final result is truly breathtakingly beautiful. Dan Roarty works at LucasArts in San Francisco as a Lead Character artist, and it is a position well-deserved by this talented mind.

ANDREY KOBUSHENKO - RASPBERRY DAY

Those raspberries sure do seem yummy… They look like you could almost smell them and touch them, don’t they? If only they were real…Alas, they are just another example of the finest work of CGI by Andrey Kobushenko. The artist shared some tips and advice from the creative process behind this amazing image. Kobushenko said that achieving a realistic picture does not require that much of correct shading and lighting, but the key factor is a proper ratio of all components of realism. The artist also added that it is imperative that you’re able to constantly see the reference, allowing yourself to set up guide points throughout the working process. He makes it sound so easy, but there’s actually a lot of skill, patience and mastery of different tools and methods required to produce an image of such staggering visuals.

ALBERT FARRAHOV – ARTWORK

Not much information can be found online about the artist behind this extremely realistic digital image of a plain glass. Perhaps, the subject being a plain glass has something to do with the lack of “popularity” and exposure of Farrahov, but either way, the uncanny resemblance to a real glass is undeniable. The utter perfection of the imperfections hiding in the smallest details is simply mind-boggling, and it really makes you wonder how it’s not indeed a real-life photo you are gazing at. The angle of lighting, the shadows, the dirt, reflection, everything is absolutely stunning and hyper-realistic. Almost as if we’re waiting for someone to finally reveal that it is, in fact, a photograph of a real glass…but it is not, this particular image is a masterpiece of CGI.

MARCO DI LUCCA – EVILMAUL

In the light of the upcoming continuation of the Star Wars saga, we’ll include this “unfinished” work by Marco Di Lucca. The Italian born digital artist has over 12 years of experience in commercials and the movie industry, but what is quite interesting and admiring is that he is completely self-taught. His skills include multiple disciplines, but Di Lucca’s main focus is on organic modeling, electronic sculpture, texturing and rendering. This image is actually a self-portrait of the artist, done in a Darth Maul version. Marco noted that he never got around to finishing it, but it already looks amazing enough. It is almost difficult to comprehend it is not a work of a superb make-up artist, but a single man behind a keyboard.

BENJAMIN BROSDAU – ARTWORK

A photographer by passion, Benjamin Brosdau is actually a self-taught 3D artist. With over 14 years of experience encompassing various fields of CGI, Brosdau has been a generalist for the most of his career. The broad knowledge and comprehensive use of CGI has made him a specialist for shading, lighting and rendering, especially in the creation of digital nature. This becomes obvious once we look at some of the examples of Brosdau’s work. This image of a road is nothing shorter than photographic quality. The lighting and rendering is beautiful, and each stone is resonating with realness

Miagui – National Geographic

A wide range of professionals are part of the creative production studio called Miagui. They mostly focus on advertising images and aim to approach the advertising world with innovation and creativity. With numerous teams specialized in different spectrums, their CGI creators are one of the best in the business. This advertisement they’ve created for National Geographic just goes to prove that claim. The life-like image of an alligator swimming in the famous Nat Geo sign is realistic enough to startle anyone encountering it. Cleverly placed at the bottom of moving stairs, the advertisement had surely drawn much attention.

MARCELO SOUZA – OLD TYPEWRITER

Born in 1973, the Brazilian 3D artist Marcelo Souza has been working under the name of Kumodot. Ever since he was a teenager, he felt great passion for 3D art. He dedicated many days and nights to studying of 3D/digital and conventional art/photography, and everything related to the spectrum. Souza has been working as a 3D generalist since 1995. As part of his mood and shading study project, the artist created this rendition of a typewriter, trying to add visual weight to a very simple 3D scene. His goal was to achieve good results using simple models and dramatic textures, Dof, and render. Obviously, the project was a success, considering the level of reality presented in this image of the old typewriter.

DENIS TOLKISHEVSKY – APRICUS ACINI

Having already received an impressive amount of awards for his work, Denis Tolkishevsky continues to astonish with his stunning digital art. The Russian designer is a skillful 3D artist hailing from the Siberian town of Novosibirsk. With 3D only being a hobby for Tolkishevsky, the graduated construction engineer decided to change his job for a 3D-graphics-related one. As many other 3D artists, he studied 3D graphics on his own, using books and lessons downloaded from the Internet. Even though he had no prior education or knowledge of artistic nature, Tolkishevsky managed to master the creation of digital imagery, Apricus Acini being a proof of that.

Tim Cooper – 3D Pilsner beer cans for Hansa packaging

UK-based artist, Tim Cooper, is an extremely talented and passionate CGI creator, specialized in 3D product and packaging realization. Having worked for some of the world’s most leading brands, including Harrods, Men’s Health Magazine, Clinique, Cooper is a versatile artist who works with 3D photo-realistic imagery and creative retouching and compositing. His pixel-perfect imagery is shown in this example of two beer cans he produced for Hansa packaging. Every single drop is different and given a character, bringing the whole image as close as possible to a photograph-quality. Just makes you want to reach out and grab one of those cold beers, if only they were real…

Christophe Heughe – Bad Hair Day

Heughe graduated in Graphic Arts & Design from St Luc Institute in Belgium. After 10 years of being an art director and graphic designer in various advertising agencies, he started doing freelance 3D digital art creative retouch in 2011. The stunning and entertaining project entitled Bad Hair Day really puts Christophe Heughe at the top of the game. 3D hair is one of the most difficult things to master or even begin to do properly, and Heughe has done an amazing job at creating it as the focal point of the piece. Of course, the theme and subject may not be realistic, but the visuals are definitely mesmerizing and masterfully executed.